The invention relates generally to construction equipment and more specifically an improved storage container and trailer combination assembly that allows a single user to transport a storage container back and forth to a work site easily and efficiently.
A construction industry storage container is commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cjob boxxe2x80x9d. Job boxes can be purchased from various construction supply companies and some retail outlets. Most job boxes fall within a general size range and employ a substantially uniform design and construction. Job boxes are used by contractors and sub-contractors for the purpose of carrying tools and construction supplies to a job site. The job box usually remains at the site until the project is completed.
A typical job box being 36 inches tall, 60 inches long and 30 inches wide, weighs approximately 300 pounds, including the castors. There can be over 200 pounds of construction tools and supplies in the box, making the total weight of the loaded job box over 500 pounds. It takes a minimum of two persons, and as many as four persons, to lift a job box into a truck, even if the box is empty. If a project only requires one tradesman and one job box, loading, transporting, and unloading of that job box still requires at least one additional person, sometimes more. Traditional loading and transportation of a job box to a job site can be an inefficient and costly exercise for contractor or construction company.
A serious problem arises when small independent contractors, tradesmen, or other one person operations use job boxes. Such individuals cannot employ a job box at a job site without recruiting temporary help to load and unload the box. Small companies or individuals are often restricted to using a pickup truck with a camper shell, or a station wagon, loaded down with all the tools and extra supplies needed for the job. Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide an apparatus and method for transporting a storage container to a job site that can be easily used by an individual.
It is among the principal objects of the invention to provide an apparatus that will allow one individual to conveniently transport and use a construction storage container. The construction storage container and trailer assembly of the present invention allows the tow vehicle""s cargo area to remain available for additional construction materials.
Briefly stated, a storage box and trailer assembly is provided having a single rail trailer with a pivotable, single wheel design used primarily to haul a conventional construction site storage container. (xe2x80x9cJob Boxxe2x80x9d). The assembly includes a trailer that can be attached to any tow vehicle. The trailer includes a single, central beam or rail. There is a trailer hitch apparatus at the front end of the rail that attaches to the tow vehicle in a two-point attachment configuration so as to prevent tipping of the trailer. There is a single wheel at the rear end of the rail. The single wheel is pivotable to as to be rotated to a down position to engage the road and rotated to an up and out of the way position when the job box is set at a job site. There is a first cross channel adjacent the front end of the rail and a second cross channel adjacent the rear end of the rail. There are holes formed in ends of each cross channel. The cross channels are positioned so that the support skids on the bottom of each end of the job box rest in the respective channels. The job box caster bolts are introduced through the holes in the ends of the channels and secured in the skids to hold the job box on the trailer. There is a jack on the bottom of the rail to facilitate the raising of the trailer for attachment to and disattachment from the tow vehicle trailer hitch and to raise and lower the rear wheel assembly.
The job box is removably attached to the trailer by the casters but in use is left mounted on the trailer. Consequently the heavy job box can be attached to vehicle and detached easily by one person. The combination is sized to pass through a normal sized entry door of residential or commercial construction.
The exemplary embodiment of the job box trailer assembly of the present invention utilizing the job box can also be useful for any type of small item delivery, or sample carrying. This same job box trailer assembly can be easily adapted, with the use of attachments, to recreational uses, i.e. to transport luggage, personal belongings, motor cycles, bicycles, camping equipment or the like.
The exemplary embodiment of job box trailer assembly of the present invention can be adapted to use with any vehicle that can be equipped with an under-frame trailer hitch, Class II-V for pickup trucks, SUV""s, and cars of all sizes. It can also be used with a pickup truck having only a step bumper.
The job box trailer assembly of the present invention allows transportation of a job box by an individual without extra help. By utilizing the job box trailer assembly of the present invention to transport the job box, the cargo area of the tow vehicle can be reserved for larger construction supplies.